Government to roll out fertiliser DBT in 5 more states in December

NEW DELHI: The government will introduce direct benefit transfer (DBT) of fertiliser subsidies in five more states, including Punjab, next month, a senior Fertiliser Ministry official said. Last month, the DBT facility for fertiliser subsidies was rolled out in 14 states and Union Territories (UTs).

The government bears about Rs 70,000 crore annually as fertiliser subsidy to provide cheaper farm nutrient to farmers. “Fertiliser DBT is working smoothly in 14 states. We have shortlisted five big states — Punjab, Haryana, Chhatisgarh, Madya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh — that will go live in December,” Fertiliser Joint Secretary Dharam Pal told PTI.

The states and UTs where the DBT facility has been rolled out are: Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttarkhand, Goa, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, Assam, Mizoram, Daman and Diu, Dadra Nagar Haveli, Andamana and Nicobar, Delhi and Puducherry. For the remaining 12 states such as Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and West Bengal, the DBT scheme will be rolled out in January 2018.